Engineering Commons^™

Multi-Technique Characterization Of Biochar Formation, Anthony Dufour, Yann Le Brech, Luc Delmotte, Jésus Raya, Nicolas Brosse, Guillain Mauviel, Roger Gadiou

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

It is known that biomass forms an intermediate liquid before forming the solid “char” (figure 1) but the role of this intermediate liquid on the structure of char and on the mechanisms of pyrolysis is still poorly understood.

In this talk we will present how in-situ rheology and 1H NMR analysis [2] are interesting technique to understand the mechanism of biochar formation through an intermediate “visco-elastic” material. These techniques allow assessing the physical-chemistry of biomass conversion to char at real-time and high temperature conditions.

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Pyrolysis Of Cotton Stalks And Utilization Of Pyrolysis Char For Sustainable Soil Enhancement And Carbon Storage, Sebastian Schaffer, Tobias Pröll, Rafat Al Afif, Christoph Pfeifer

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Worldwide, a large amount of biomass accumulates in the form of ligno-cellulosic agricultural by-products that can neither be efficiently used as animal feed nor as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. A clean and energy-efficient utilization in combustion plants is counter-indicated by high contents of elements like Cl, K and Na that decrease the ash-melting-point and lead to fouling and corrosion. Although this biomass is, therefore, not suitable for conventional combustion plants, a pyrolysis process can be applied that works at lower temperatures of 500-600°C.

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Analysis Of Product Distribution And Characteristics Of Bio-Oil And Bio-Char From Fast Pyrolysis Of Date Palm Tree Waste, Yassir Makkawi, Paul Nancarrow, Ahmed El Sharkawy, Tony Bridgwater, Scott Banks, Stuart Jones

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

According to recent reports, there are more than 120 million date palm trees worldwide, with the estimated Middle East and North Africa combined share of more than 80%. Date palm trees produce huge amounts of waste amounting to 15-35 kg per tree per year. This represents a challenging environmental problem, since disposal is so far mainly based on landfill and uncontrolled combustion.

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Physical Properties Of Charred Pellets After Two Months Of Storage, C.J. Lim, Shahab Sokhansanj, Sudhagar Mani

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Six types of charred pellets: canola straw, willow, bagasse, wheat straw, switchgrass and miscanthus, were stored for a period of two months at room temperature 25±2 °C in sealed containers. The tests were part of off gassing experiment on charred and uncharred pellets. The following physical properties of the pellets were measured: bulk density, individual pellet density, Individual pellet dimensions were similar between samples but the pellet mass ranged from 0.79 g for switchgrass to 1.13 g for bagasse pellet.

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Lab-Scale Pyrolysis And Hydrothermal Carbonization Of Biomass Digestate: Characterization Of Solid Products, Edoardo Miliotti, David Casini, Matteo Prussi, Giulia Lotti, Lorenzo Bettucci, Andrea Maria Rizzo, David Chiaramonti

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

The aim of the present study is to investigate the production of biochar from anaerobic digestion (AD) digestate. Re-Cord selected digestate from real and representative (regarding the scale and the process technology) anaerobic digestion plant.

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Mobile Organic Compounds In Biochar. Relationships With Carbonization Degree And Bio-Oil Composition, Daniele Fabbri, Michele Ghidotti

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

During biochar production, pyrolysis vapors released from biomass can interact with the porous aromatic biochar structure. Given the complex chemical composition of pyrolysis vapors, a wide range of organic compounds with different polarities and molecular mass can be retained in biochar with the potential to be released into the environment. The presence of these species will ultimately influence biochar quality and safety for soil applications. While our knowledge on the production, occurrence and fate of priority contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, is increasing and led to the definition of threshold values, the relevance of non-regulated organic compounds has been …

Hydrous Pyrolysis Of Digestate As Alternative To Post Composting In A Biowaste Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Maria Laura Mastellone, Roberta Lotito

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Abstract is not available.

Hydrothermal Carbonization Of Sewage Sludge: Char Characterization And Reference To International Legislations, Fabio Merzari, Gianni Andreottola, Maurizio Volpe, Fabio Valentinuzzi, Tanja Mimmo, Stefano Cesco, Luca Fiori

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

The aim of this work is to apply Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) to different kinds of sludge such as thickened sludge, digested sludge and dewatered sludge, and compare the composition of the solid produced by the process, i.e. hydrochar, with soil and biosolid legislations: Table 1. For the purpose, experimental tests were performed at different operating conditions, namely three temperatures (190, 220 and 250 °C) and two reaction times (30 and 60 minutes).

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Biochar Characterization And Eu27 Law Harmonization: Refertil Results, Edward Someus, Massimo Pugliese

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

The FP7 REFERRIL biochar applied research and economical industrialization project (EU contract no 289785, 2011-2015) developed a strong policy support for the European Commission Fertilizer Regulation revision biochar case. Wide range of different biochar types characterized, including relationships among feedstock, production technology in viable industrial scale and characteristics, which results, summarized in this presentation, reflected to economical industrial scenarios under market competitive conditions, for the interests and benefits of the SME farmers. Environmental and ecological impacts and risks considered.

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Biochar From Gasification In Cultivated Soils And Riparian Buffer Zones: Chemical Characterization, Ivano Vassura, Elisa Venturini, Alessandro G. Rombolà, Daniele Fabbri, Cristian Torri, Marco Errani, Roberto Reggiani

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

During rain events, pollutants in agricultural soils can be transported from fields to surface and/or groundwater resulting in contamination of streams and rivers. Researchers and farmers must work together to find solutions to ensure the preservation of crop production without jeopardizing water quality or the health of the ecosystem. Establishment of riparian zones may reduce the effects of diffuse discharges of pollutants into waterways. The addition of biochar to soils, particularly in a riparian zones, can reduce the mobility of contaminants and improve removal efficiency due its sorptive capacity.

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Changes In Carbon Structure Distribution And Nanostructure Of Functionalized Biochars, Elsa Weiss-Hortala, Marion Ducousso, Maxime Hervy, Sarah Berhanu, Doan Pham Minh, Anthony Chesnaud, Alain Thorel, Ange Nzihou

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Energetic vectors produced from the thermochemical conversion of biomass and waste is considered as environmental-friendly energy. The syngas composed of CO and H2 at convenient ratio, could be used for various subsequent uses. However the industrial development is hold back by the production of unwanted by-products: tars and biochar/ash (aromatic hydrocarbons and solid residues respectively) which decrease the global efficiency yield and require very costly treatments. Some recent studies investigated potential applications to use these biochars for catalytic or sorbent applications, such as catalytic tar cracking or pollutants removal [1]. Biochars are cheap candidates and their functionalization is an opportunity …

Off-Gassing Of Charred Pellets During Storage, Shahab Sokhansanj, C. J. Lim, Sudhagar Mani

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

The off-gassing tests for six types of charred pellets: canola straw, willow, bagasse, wheat straw, switchgrass and miscanthus, were conducted at room temperature 25±2 °C in sealed storage containers. Pairs of 2-litre sealable glass containers were filled with 800 g of each sample to approximately 75% of the container volume. One container contained charred pelles. The other container contained uncharred (untreated pellets). The two glass containers were sampled in alternate weeks for CO2, CO, O2, and CH4.

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Production Of Biochar And Development Of Predictive Methods For Determining Performance In Value-Added Composite Materials, Douglas Cuthbertson, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Current pyrolysis technologies are used for the production of liquid bio-oil, solid biochar, and gases, at temperatures in the range of 400-600 °C in the presence of little or no oxygen. Typically, pyrolysis processes have been investigated with the aim of producing the oil and char for their potential value as sustainable sources of energy and chemicals. Biochar, or biocarbon, the carbonaceous residue remaining after the volatile components have exited the biomass material, has typically been used in low value applications such as soil amendment. However, for pyrolysis technology to become fully established, it remains necessary to extract as much …

Novel Bio-Char Characterization Strategies And Their Use To Study The Chemical And Morphological Evolution Of Material Derived From Xylan, Cellulose And Lignin, Matthew W. Smith, Manuel Garcia-Perez

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

In our poster we will present the deconvolution of Raman, X-ray Photoelectron, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra of bio-chars. To support this work, spectra calculated for a wide variety of polyaromatic structures have been examined using density functional theory. Based on the modeling results a new fitting and interpretation procedure for Raman spectra of chars has been proposed. This method identifies out of plane deformation, 5 membered ring systems, 7 + membered ring systems and heteroatom inclusions, in addition to monitoring the cluster size of aromatic domains.

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Characterization Of Biochar Pore Structure With X-Ray Tomography, Jari Hyväluoma, Jaakko Heikkinen, Sampo Kulju, Markus Hannula, Hanne Wikberg, Anssi Källi, Kimmo Rasa

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Biochar use as soil amendment can influence both physical and chemical properties of soil. The effects of biochar depend on the raw material from which biochar is derived as well as on the used processing technology and process conditions. One commonly highlighted benefit of biochar application is improved water retention properties of soil. Biochar may affect water retention in direct or direct way. In direct mechanism water is stored and held in the biochar pores while in indirect mechanisms biochar contributes to the soil structural development (aggregation).

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How To Produce A Potential High Value Bio-Char From The Worst Invasive Plant In Canada, Chiara Barbiero, Franco Berruti, Cedric Briens

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Phragmites Australis is a perennial plant, native to Eurasia, which is spreading worldwide, increasing fire hazards, and causing damage to wildlife and its surrounding habitat. Phragmites is classified as Canada’s worst invasive plant due to the difficulty of achieving its full eradication. Phragmites plants are fast growing and can spread quickly through seeds or rhizomes. They must be processed locally to destroy seeds and rhizomes. For these reasons, mobile pyrolysis was selected as a destruction method that provides valuable bio-char. The aim of this work is to study the effect of different pre-treatment and post-treatment strategies on bio-char characteristics, such …

Biochar: Product Development In Remote Regions From Mixed Residues, Kelly Hawboldt, Stephanie Macquarrie, Hanieh Bamdad

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Biochar is a particularly interesting pyrolysis product in regions where there is an abundance of waste biomass to convert but limited ability to effectively turn the waste into a product due to distance to market, lack of infrastructure (e.g. pipelines for gas), and the heterogeneous nature of the biomass (e.g. forestry residues, fishery by-product etc.). Biochar is a more homogeneous material (compared to waste biomass) expanding possible applications, is a less dense solid (making transport less costly), and could be used to sustainably develop an industry/product in these regions.

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Biochar Production And Application In The Intermountain West, Darren Mcavoy

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

The Utah Biomass Resources Group (UBRG) has focused on biochar production and application since 2011. We partner with Amaron Energy of Salt Lake City and have developed mobile pyrolysis technology for in-situ biochar production. We have also initiated field trials of biochar application in mining and agricultural settings.

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Biocharfx: Production With Carbonfx Technology, Characterization And Applications In Potting Soil Related To Plant Production, Sébastien Lange, Sylvain Bertrand

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Airex Energy started its R&D activities on torrefaction technology in 2010 and has been operating the first and only commercial-scale biocoal plant in Canada since 2015. The company has developed the patented CarbonFXTM process for biomass torrefaction. The biochar produced from this technology can be used for different applications, one of them being as a soil amendment. The biochar produced by Airex Energy is called BiocharFXTM. In Canada, the use of biochar as a soil amendment for agriculture, horticulture or mixed with other porous media, requires a certification from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

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Activation And Mild Oxidation Of Vacuum Pyrolysis Biochar, Serge Kaliaguine, Raoof Bardestani

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

A biochar produced using the Pyrovac vacuum pyrolysis process for a 80% pine-20% spruce + fir biomass feedstock (moisture content of 10% w/w). The pyrolysis was run at a temperature of 475 oC under 100 kPa total pressure with a chips feed flow rate of 14 kg/h. The pyrolysis yield was 25% on a wet basis (Sample 1)

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Production Of Activated Carbon From Barley Biochar Precursor, Javier Pallarés, Ana González-Cencerrado, Inmaculada Ramos

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Agricultural production must be directed towards "sustainable agriculture", which preserves natural resources, reduces GHG emissions and maintains biodiversity. In this context, biochar is considered a product of great interest in agriculture since several studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in increasing agricultural yields, increasing the water retention capacity and nutrients in the soil, increasing the development of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), and ultimately improving the efficiency of fertilizers, thus reducing their use and reducing enviromental pollution.

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Biochar Production Through Hydrothermal Carbonization: Energy Efficiency And Cost Analysis Of An Industrial-Scale Plant, Michela Lucian,, Fabio Merzari, Luca Fiori

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is an induced coalification process that converts raw biomass into a coal-like product, called hydrochar, characterized by high carbon content and high calorific value. This type of thermo-chemical conversion, also referred to as wet pyrolysis (or wet torrefaction), can be applied to a variety of non-traditional sources such as the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, wet agricultural residues, sewage sludge. Unlike traditional dry pyrolysis, the HTC process allows for the treatment of substrates with elevated moisture content, up to 75%–90%, without requiring a drying pre-treatment step.

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Pyrolysis Of Residues From Well-Established Biochemical Processes For The Production Of Biochar, Devon Barry, Cedric Briens, Franco Berruti

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

The main objective of this work is to use pyrolysis for the production of biochar from the residues of well-established biochemical processes. The residues that were selected come from two major conversion processes: biogas digesters, and wastewater treatment facilities. These processes produce unconverted lignin-rich residues, made of biomass components that are refractory to biochemical conversion. Pyrolysis is an aggressive thermochemical conversion process that is ideally suited to such residues. The desired biochar characteristics were determined by the specific needs of each industrial partner. The desired traits for the biochar obtained from sewage sludge were the capture, and stabilization of heavy …

Investigation Of Innovative And Conventional Pyrolysis Of Ligneous And Herbaceous Biomasses For Biochar Production, Marina Morando, Silvia Fiore, Cedric Briens, Franco Berruti

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process involving the thermolysis of carbon-based materials in absence of an oxidizing agent. Adjusting the operating conditions, in order to maximize the gaseous, liquid or solid products, may optimize pyrolysis process. This work investigates the performances of three laboratory-scale reactors on the grounds of the quantity and quality of the biochar obtained from different biomasses. Three types of biomass were fed to each reactor: two ligneous (rubberwood and eucalyptus) and one herbaceous (Phragmites australis). A novel reactor developed at ICFAR, the Jiggled Bed Reactor (JBR) was employed in slow pyrolysis mode.

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Biochar Production Through Slow Pyrolysis Of Different Biomass Materials: Seeking The Best Operating Conditions, Joan J. Manyà, Manuel Azuara, José A. Manso

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

In the last years, special attention has been focused on analyzing the effect of pyrolysis conditions (mainly peak temperature) on the yield and properties of produced biochar. Given that the nature of biomass plays a key role in the pyrolysis process, it becomes really difficult to establish generic trends and correlations, which can be used for any biomass feedstock to predict the properties of derived biochar. Thus, more experimental studies focused on a given biomass source are still needed with the aim of providing reliable data for further research goals. In addition, a number of techniques have been proposed to …

Biochar From Microwave Pyrolysis Of Selected Feedstocks, Tanisha M. Dreise, Daya R. Nhuchhen, Muhammad T. Afzal

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

This is a brief summary of work carried out by a team of researchers to produce biochar using microwave pyrolysis system developed at Bioenergy, Bioproducts Research Lab (BBRL), at UNB. Various feedstocks such as corn stalk, spruce, maple, switchgrass, and wood pellets were used to produce biochar. A batch type microwave reactor with a frequency of 2.45 GHz and a power generator of 3 kW was used in the pyrolysis experiments. The amount of biochar obtained depends on the microwave pyrolysis conditions and type of feedstock. For corn stalk briquettes, the yield of biochar ranged from 30.9 to 41.1 wt%. …

A Three-Stage Thermochemical Conversion Process For The Production Of Biochar, Alessandro Scova, Vander Tumiatti, Francesco Lenzi

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Within a French consortium of four companies and five laboratories from two scientific groups, Sea Marconi is one of the industrial partners of the LORVER project (www.lorver.org). The project aims at the sustainable redevelopment of brownfield deriving from the deindustrialization of the Lorraine region (France) by soil reconstruction, cultivation of different non-food biomasses and their final conversion into valuable outputs (biochar, bioenergy, natural fibers, metals).

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Production And Characterization Of Slow Pyrolysis Biochar From Lignin-Rich Digested Stillage From 2nd Generation Bioethanol Production, Frederik Ronsse, Dane Dickinson, Wolter Prins

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Lignin-rich stillage from 2nd generation bioethanol production is a unique feedstock for slow pyrolysis and biochar production, as it contains high amounts of lignin (62 wt. % d.b) and ash (9.97 wt. % d.b) next to some residual cellulose and hemicellulose. As lignin is known to result in higher char and char-C yields compared to regular lignocellulosic feedstock, the suitability of a lignin-containing residue, obtained from a 2nd generation bio-ethanol pilot run using short rotation poplar, was subjected to anaerobic digestion for biogas production followed by slow pyrolysis of the digestate for the production of biochar.

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Woody And Agricultural Biomass Diversity In Torrefaction: A Complete Study In Solid Conversion And Volatiles Formation On Tga-Gcms, María González Martínez, Capucine Dupont, Xuan Mi Meyer, Christophe Gourdon

BIO-CHAR: Production, Characterization and Applications

Nowadays, there is an increasing awareness on the importance of biomass waste as a renewable source of energy, materials and chemicals. In this context, the European project MOBILE FLIP aims at developing and demonstrating mobile conversion processes suitable with various underexploited agro- and forest based biomass resources in order to produce energy carriers, materials and chemicals. One of these processes is torrefaction, which consists in a mild thermal treatment, occurring typically between 200 and 300°C during a few tens of minutes in a default-oxygen atmosphere.

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Data-Driven Abstraction, Vivian Mankau Ho

LSU Master's Theses

Given a program analysis problem that consists of a program and a property of interest, we use a data-driven approach to automatically construct a sequence of abstractions that approach an ideal abstraction suitable for solving that problem. This process begins with an infinite concrete domain that maps to a finite abstract domain defined by statistical procedures resulting in a clustering mixture model. Given a set of properties expressed as formulas in a restricted and bounded variant of CTL, we can test the success of the abstraction with respect to a predefined performance level. In addition, we can perform iterative abstraction-refinement …